Lauren Bugg’s play Cryin’ Air is a wonderful tour de force exploring emotions of loneliness, grief, and friendship. Following a break-up with her indifferent boyfriend, innocent but ultra-anxious Grace (Milly Overland) seeks support from multiple over-the-phone therapists, but this provides little relief for her. She decides to book a city break to Amsterdam as a “solo female traveller” to escape her troubles, even though she is terrified of flights, travel, strangers and just about everything. Meanwhile, following the death of her father, Kerry (Ella-Maria Danson) decides to follow through on her promise to take a trip and scatter his ashes in an exotic city. Cue a (much delayed) flight to Amsterdam, where our two protagonists meet and become fast friends. Their newfound friendship will be tested on a journey that is equally touching and hilarious.
The play is an excellent two-hander and falls into two acts. The first half follows the separate lives of the two characters as they deliver laugh-out-loud monologues on dealing with chaotic family members, indifferent boyfriends, soured friends from university, random men in nightclubs, and a dog named Ian. The actors multi-role different parts and these are played convincingly, with simple props and physicalisation broadening the plays world. The second half deals with their journey through Amsterdam, including a visit to the penis museum, a run-in with Grace’s ex-boyfriend, the canal boat journey from hell, and finally scattering Kerry’s dad’s remains with an indecent spoon. The two bond over their mutual grief – for one, the death of a parent; for another, the death of a relationship – and promise to stay in touch as fellow “solo female travellers”.
The play as a whole is very funny and offers a satisfying conclusion to the story. However, I couldn’t help but feel that the first half surges with energy, and quick quips, while the second act at times lacked energy, and became inaudible. This is understandable as the personal theme of grief is more front-and-centre as the play develops, but it nevertheless could have benefited from stillness and silence, above whispers and wandering monologues. The staging, music cues, and simple props and costumes are an absolute triumph. The minimal but effective lighting is atmospheric, and alongside clever music, and props, the audience feels connected instantly to these two characters; the audience are transported from private bedrooms to the bridges of Amsterdam, in a charming and engaging way.
The two leads offer engaging and endearing performances as two very different young women approaching similar life problems from very different perspectives. One (Grace) yearns to escape adult life altogether and return to the simpler times of childhood, while the other (Kerry) wants to start anew but isn’t certain how to move on with her life. Most touching of all was the portrayal of isolation in younger adults as they try (and often fail) to navigate a world that seems completely indifferent to them to the point of denying their worth as human beings, whether in the form of barely-there boyfriends, friends that simply don’t care anymore, therapists who get distracted by snacks, and family members who have emotionally checked out. But we leaving feeling that there is hope – often in the most unlikely of places.
Cryin Air is running from Wednesday 23rd September to Saturday 26th September at 53Two.
Tickets Available here: https://53two.online/show/6a32e67f2bbb8683e0bd98ff
Reviewer: Amanda Hodgson
Reviewed: 23rd September 2026
North West End UK Rating: